Now in Automotive
Inflatable Seatbelts: The Forefront of Backseat Safety
Ford’s safety engineers have developed the world’s first inflatable rear seatbelts, which debuted on the 2011 Ford Explorer SUV. The belts provide better head, neck, and chest protection to backseat passengers by distributing the force of a crash impact across a much larger area of the body. The project’s lead safety engineer recalls some of the key challenges of the design and testing process, and discusses what lies ahead for this innovative safety technology.
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Knowledgebase
Researchers at the University of Strathclyde, U.K., led by Professor Shanwen Tao, have figured out how to use urine and urea (a component of urine) as well as ammonia, to power fuel cells. To do so, they had to design new catalysts and membranes. At present, their fuel cell has not provided enough energy to power a car, but they hope to soon market a product that would work in household bathrooms to both purify the water and produce enough energy to charge batteries.
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Knowledgebase
Hybrid automotive engineering degree programs are growing as the major automotive manufacturers race to develop the next generation hybrid vehicles and the U.S government continues to pour in research dollars to help hasten their development. Students can even study hybrid automotive engineering at leading educational institutions abroad. The Department of Energy has established Graduate Automotive Technology Education (GATE) Centers of Excellence at eight U.S universities.
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Groups
The Internal Combustion Engine Division of ASME has been promoting the art and science of mechanical engineering of engines, encouraging and fostering research and development for mobile, marine, rail, generation and stationary applications and summarizing and publishing reliable data concerning these pursuits since 1921.
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